Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, participated in an intensive tree-plantation programme at Malagram in Yamkeshwar block, Pauri Garhwal, on the occasion of the Harela festival, conveying a message of environmental conservation and a greener Uttarakhand.

Context

Harela is an annual Uttarakhand folk festival that marks the onset of the monsoon season and has traditionally been observed through community tree-plantation drives. The state government has conducted Harela plantation campaigns every year since Uttarakhand's formation in 2000, using the occasion to mobilise public participation in afforestation and environmental conservation.

This year's event was held at Shri Dhanwantari Dham Herbal World Himalaya, a unique herbal park at Malagram that conserves rare medicinal plants sourced from various Himalayan regions and Indian states, combining traditional Ayurvedic knowledge with modern scientific research.

Policy Backdrop

CM Dhami undertook a detailed tour of the Shri Dhanwantari Dham Herbal World Himalaya campus, acquainting himself with rare medicinal flora, ongoing research activities, and Ayurveda-based innovations. He also inspected the dhyan kuti (meditation cottage) within the complex.

Addressing those present, Dhami said that 'rajya ki yah prakritik dharohar pure vishwa ke liye amulya hai' ('this natural heritage of the state is invaluable for the entire world') and that its conservation and scientific study are the need of the hour. He emphasised that ongoing efforts would give new direction to environmental protection while generating opportunities in medicinal plant cultivation, Ayurveda-based research, herbal tourism, and self-employment for local youth.

Uttarakhand's State Medicinal Plants Board and herbal cultivation policies, launched in the mid-2000s, have sought to position the state as a national hub for Ayurvedic raw materials. The Malagram park represents a convergence of those policy threads with the Union government's AYUSH priorities, which encourage integration of traditional medicine with modern research infrastructure.

Stakeholders and Impact

The event was attended by Swami Ramdev, founder of Patanjali Yogpeeth, and Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder and Ayurvedic research head at Patanjali — underscoring the public-private dimension of Uttarakhand's herbal economy push. Also present were State Women's Commission Chairperson Kusum Kandwal, Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht, District Magistrate Swati S. Bhadauria, Senior Superintendent of Police Sarvesh Panwar, BJP District President Rajgaurav Nautiyal, and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Chatar Singh Chauhan, along with elected representatives, officials, and a large number of local residents.

For Pauri Garhwal — a Himalayan district with significant forest cover and biodiversity — the park offers a model that links conservation directly to rural livelihoods. Local youth, herbal farmers, and Ayurveda researchers stand to benefit from the self-employment and research opportunities the site is expected to generate.

What's Next

The Chief Minister's visit signals continued state attention to expanding Uttarakhand's Ayurveda-herbal economy through sites such as the Malagram park. Future indicators to watch include the replication of similar herbal parks in other districts, employment data from the Malagram site, and potential new state or central funding for medicinal plant research and herbal tourism infrastructure.

With Harela serving as an annual mobilisation moment, the state is likely to deepen its community-plantation targets while weaving in the herbal-economy narrative — positioning Uttarakhand's Himalayan biodiversity as both an ecological asset and an economic engine for hill communities.